System for regional data association and presentation and method for the same

Abstract

A database methodology that concerns the mapping of any arbitrary object into a plurality of regions, enabling the assignment of multiple region-specific attributes thereto and facilitating the concurrent, graphical presentation of any assigned attributes. Attribute storage, manipulation, and presentation are driven by the individual regions and characteristics of the object.

1. A system for assisting treatment of chronic pain of patients, the system comprising:
 a computer system comprising a display, user input controls, and executable software, wherein the executable software comprises: 
 (a) first software for receiving input from a user to select bodily regions of a patient afflicted by chronic pain, the first software receiving first input defining a type of pain from a predefined plurality of pain types and a second input defining an intensity of pain for the defined pain type for each selected bodily region; 
 (b) second software for processing input received by the first user interface to convert the received input into a predefined format; 
 (c) third software for storing the data converted by the second software into a patient database; 
 (c) fourth software for initiating a search of the patient database using data converted from the second software to identify other patients exhibiting similar patterns of chronic pain; and 
 (d) fifth software for displaying records of patient pain patterns from the database, the fourth software displaying a graphical representation of bodily regions of patients afflicted by chronic pain by separating visually identifying a respective pain type and pain intensity for each afflicted bodily region. 
 
   
   
     2. The system of  claim 1  wherein the patient database stores data indicative of changes in pain patterns pain of patients over periods of time. 
   
   
     3. The system of  claim 1  wherein the first software permits user input to be collected for respective bodily regions in a manner dependent upon a plurality of pre-defined bodily postures. 
   
   
     4. The system of  claim 1  wherein the fifth software displays pain intensity using a plurality of colors and displays pain types using a plurality of graphical patterns. 
   
   
     5. The system of  claim 1  wherein the second software generates a respective data object for each bodily region selected by the user, wherein the data object stores data related to the respective defined pain type and defined intensity of pain. 
   
   
     6. The system of  claim 5  wherein the second software generates a variable number of data objects for each patient for storage in the patient database. 
   
   
     7. The system of  claim 1  wherein the first software further receives third input for each selected bodily region defining a depth of pain for the respective bodily region.